Dust to Dust
by Mooneater8044
Summary: When Frisk lands in the Dusttale AU, it becomes a waking nightmare. With everyone they love gone and Sans insane, they must try and find a way home before Chara, now awakened and on the run, decides to play the game all over again. Dusttale AU.


**_For those of you who don't know, Dusttale is an AU in which Sans goes insane and attempts to raise his LV by killing other monsters to kill Chara and stop them from committing the Genocide route._**

 ** _This includes his own brother._**

 ** _Enjoy, I guess. Leave a review if you enjoyed._**

 ** _Or if you have any suggestions._**

Frisk knew something was wrong when they woke up in the forest.

It was cold. It was dark. They'd hurt their arm from a fall. It didn't make any sense. They opened their eyes, sucking in a huge breath as the cold hit them. They arched their back and let out a quiet gasp of surprise as the snow beneath them got into their pyjamas. Their head hurt as they groggily sat up, clutching their temple. For some reason, they were wearing a piece of Papyrus' scarf around their neck. It helped with the cold and they shivered.

"Ow… ow… ow…" They moaned, feeling sick. Their head was swimming and they tried to make sense of what was happening. They felt frightened as they tried to stand up, failing as they fell back into the snow. Fear clutched them and Frisk wrapped their arms around themselves. "S-S-Sans?" They called, their voice small and echoing in the forest. "Sans? P-P-Papyrus? Mom?"

But nobody came.

Frisk clutched their head and felt unrivalled panic in their chest. They couldn't breathe. How did they get here? Where was here? Where was Sans? Where was _anyone?_ They began to hyperventilate, clutching their chest and looking around frantically. They managed to get to their feet, their head swimming as the ice-cold snow cut into their bones. "Mommy? Sans?! Undyne?! Anyone?!"

Their voice echoed across the cold forest and they shivered, tears now spilling from their eyes. Where were they? They tried to think, but their brain felt fuzzy and cold. Their teeth chattered as they took a frightened step forward. Their body shook wildly and their skeleton pyjamas were wet with snow. They looked around, their heart sinking as they realised where they were.

The forest, just outside Snowdin.

They began to shake. "No, no, no." They whispered, looking around frantically. Their arm hurt and they clutched it, glancing at their HP. It flickered to life and they breathed a sigh of relief as they saw it was just sprained. They had fallen. But in Snowdin?

 ** _I didn't reset. I didn't… so why?_** They took another step forward, shivering in the cold. Their breath frosted in front of them as they stepped around the cold trees. The trees didn't look the same; they looked old and grey. The snow felt too icy cold. It wasn't the forest that Frisk knew in the Underground, yet the cavernous ceiling was still above them. They didn't reset, so this must've been a dream. It had to be. There was no other explanation. Their arm hurt terribly; they actually felt a little sick.

"Mom?" They called, their teeth chattering. "Mommy? Sans? Asgore?" Frisk stumbled over their own feet, shaking. They were definitely in the forests in the Underground. They could see the glittering stones set in the ceiling above. The glanced around, stopping in their tracks. There was a beaten pathway that they recognised. They broke into a run, streaking toward it despite the cold. This was definitely the pathway they had first walked when they'd stepped into the snow after leaving Toriel. They ran, their arm stinging.

"Mom? Mommy, it's Frisk! Mom!" They screamed, their bare feet slamming against the dirt. "Mom?! Toriel?!"

They could see the enormous purple door. They sprinted even harder, their arm now in searing pain. "Mom!"

They tripped. They let out a small scream as they tumbled to the beaten path, scraping their hands and knees. It hurt and they struggled to sit up, looking around groggily. The door was right in front of them; they could already see the delta rune emblazoned in the heavy stone. "Mom?!" they called, getting to their feet and rubbing their bleeding hands. It hurt, but as they drew closer to the door, the pain didn't seem to matter.

"Mom? It's Frisk! Mom!" They pounded on the door with their fist, chattering in the cold. The scarf around their neck reminded them that they had worn it when they went to bed that night. They shook violently and stared at the door. It was still closed. Frisk wanted to try again, but something about the door was very odd. It was… unsettling. Something was telling them to turn around. They glanced at their feet, which were beginning to turn blue in the cold.

Their eyes narrowed and they bent down, staring at the snow between their toes. There was something else in the snow; something warm and powdery. They reached out a finger and brushed it against the powder. Bile rose in their throat and they let out a horrified scream, recoiling as realisation came over them. The monster dust swirled in the wind and Frisk rubbed their hands in the snow, trying to rub it off. It mixed with the blood on their hands, creating a thick sludge as they wept.

"No, no, no-" They chanted, their hands shaking as they stood. "Mom?! Sans! Papyrus! ANYONE?!" They stumbled away from the door, their hands shaking as they cried. This was a nightmare. It had to be. There was no other explanation now. That was definitely the remains of a dead monster. They turned and, before they could think of what they were doing, they sprinted down the pathway. They had to find Sans. They had to find Alphys, Papyrus and everyone else. They just had to.

"It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a drea-" They sobbed, running through the forest. "SOMEONE, PLEASE!" They cried, their voice echoing in the woods. "SANS! HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

They tripped again. This time, they didn't bother to get up. They curled up in the snow, hands thrown over their head as they cried into the cold ice. The wind blew and Frisk shivered, but they reasoned that if it was a nightmare, they just had to wake up. They just had to wait until they woke up. They sniffed, curling up in the cold snow. **_Sans will come. He'll hear me. He'll come. He'll wake me up._**

They shut their eyes tightly. Any minute now, they'll be in their bed. Sans and Papyrus will be sleeping with them, snoring. Maybe Sans will make them tea, like he always did when they'd had a nightmare.

Frisk sniffled and looked up, their face stained with tears.

"HELLO."

Frisk jumped at the voice. "P-Papyrus?"

"OH! YOU KNOW MY NAME? HELLO, HUMAN!"

Frisk looked around. Papyrus was standing in the trees. He had his wide smile on his skull and he stepped out from the trees, giving Frisk a wave. "HELLO, HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

Frisk couldn't help themselves. They let out a sob of relief and jumped to their feet. "Papyrus!" They screamed, running toward him. Papyrus' sockets widened as Frisk launched themselves into Papyrus' arms, throwing their arms around his neck. "Papyrus, I-I-I was s-so s-scared…" They sobbed into his collarbone. Papyrus wrapped his arms around them, patting their back awkwardly.

"WOWIE! I'VE CAPUTRED A HUMAN! SANS WAS WRONG!" He said happily, holding Frisk out at arms' length. "I TOLD HIM YOU DIDN'T WANT TO HURT ANYONE! MAYBE HE'LL LISTEN TO ME NOW!"

Frisk sniffled, tears streaming down their face. "P-Papyrus? What are you-?"

"SANS CAN STOP HURTING PEOPLE NOW!" Papyrus said, his skull twisted into a form of sadness. "ARE YOU COLD, HUMAN? HERE!"

He unwrapped his scarf from his neck, which, for some reason, was pockmarked with horrendous holes. And, more concerningly, dust. Frisk stiffened as Papyrus wrapped their shoulders in his large, warm scarf. They shivered and he gave them an oddly tense smile.

"ALL BETTER? THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER LET HIS CAPTIVE BE COLD! THAT WOULD BE SILLY!"

"C-captive?" Frisk stuttered, their eyes trailing to the dust on the scarf. They shivered wildly and Papyrus patted their head.

"INDEED! I SHALL NOW TAKE YOU TO MY AWESOME HOLDING CELL!" He said happily, striding through the snow. Up ahead, the trees looked dead and their branches were skeletal. Frisk shivered so hard that Papyrus glanced over at them.

"DO NOT FEAR, HUMAN, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ENSURE SANS DOES NOT HARM YOU."

"What?" Frisk asked, turning to stare at Papyrus. "H-hurt-?"

"MAYBE IF HE SEES I HAVE CAPTURED YOU, HE WILL NOT HURT ANYONE." Papyrus said, his voice slightly distant. It was if he had not heard what Frisk had said. "THEN I SHALL FORGIVE HIM- I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS. I AM THE BEST AT EVERYTHING! EVEN IF IT IS FORGIVING MY BROTHER FOR… FOR… DUSTING SO MANY…"

Frisk's stomach plummeted and they looked around with wide eyes. "What? But, Sans wouldn't- he wouldn't kill-"

"I SHALL MAKE HIM SPAGHETTI." Papyrus continued in a dazed voice. "AND THEN WE SHALL BE A FAMILY AGAIN! THEN WE CAN GO TO GRILLBY'S. ALTHOUGH… IT IS EMPTY… AND SANS KILLED GRILLBY-"

Frisk was now breathing so hard they felt light headed. "No, this is- Papyrus what are you talking-"

"YOU SHOULD KEEP QUIET, HUMAN." Papyrus said. "SANS DOESN'T LIKE IT WHEN YOU TALK." His voice was oddly tense. They were nearing the bridge that Papyrus had crafted. It was dilapidated for some reason. It looked old and grey and as Papyrus stepped through the bars, he stopped and glanced around.

"OH!" He said, looking down at Frisk. "WELL… IT LOOKS LIKE I SHALL HAVE TO HIDE YOU."

"Hide? From-?"

"Oh, Papyrus…" Came a lilting voice. It sent shivers down Frisk's spine. It was a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. They stared up in horror at Papyrus, who clutched them even tighter.

"O-OH. IT'S… S-S-SANS." Papyrus stuttered. He had never Frisk had never seem him look so… terrified yet determined. "F-FEAR NOT, HUMAN. I SHALL PROTECT YOU."

He took long strides through the gate and Frisk recognised Sans' sentry station. It was coated in dust. They let out a horrified gasp as Papyrus set them behind the station, hiding them from view. "TH-THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL… SHALL PROTECT YOU." Papyrus said, setting Frisk gently on the snow. "STAY SILENT AND ALL SHALL BE WELL."

Papyrus straightened, smiling. He then turned and walked to the middle of the path, turning to the road that led to Snowdin. Frisk, frightened and confused, gently leaned over the sentry station to peek at Papyrus.

He was standing alone in the middle of the road, arms outstretched and his hands shaking wildly.

"B-BROTHER? IT IS I- TH-THE GREAT PAPYRUS."

The wind stirred more dust. Frisk clamped a terrified hand over their mouth, shaking uncontrollably. Nothing was making sense. Whose dust was this? And Sans? What happened?

It was silent for little over a minute. It felt like years. Frisk shivered and looked around, their body hunched against the cold.

"B-BROTHER?" Papyrus asked, his voice timid and terrified.

More silence.

Papyrus hesitated, then turned to Frisk ever so slightly. He opened his jaw to speak, but it was cut off by Frisk's scream as a glowing purple femur shot from the trees, impaling Papyrus and pinning him to a tree.

From the winds there came a familiar voice.

But it was filled with madness.

"Heh… Wanna have a **_mad time?!_** "


End file.
